Latest GOES 14 Level 0 Solar X-ray Imager (SXI)

The GOES 13 through 15 spacecraft each carry a sophisticated X-ray telescope called the Solar X-ray Imager (SXI) to monitor the Sun's hot outer atmosphere, or corona. X-ray photons are created in the million-degree plasma of the solar corona and are not visible from the ground, due to the absorption of the Earth's atmosphere. Observations of solar X-rays aids in the early detection of solar flares, coronal mass ejections (CMEs), and other phenomena that impact the geospace environment.

The SXI telescopes are mounted on the Sun-pointing solar array gimbles of the GOES weather satellites. These satellites are in geosynchronous orbits that allow continuous solar viewing, 24 hours/day, 7 days/week. The only exception to this is around equinox dates when the GOES satellites enter Earth's shadow for up to one hour each day.

Each SXI collects a solar X-ray image once per minute, and the exposure settings follow a sequence that is optimized to observe three primary phenomenon as they are reflected in the Solar atmosphere: coronal structures, active regions, and solar flares.

SWPC processes and presents the images and animations of the GOES SXI instruments in near-real-time, and uses them in analyzing events and in issuing space weather watches, warnings, and alerts.